Earlier I posted a very long time series of statistics on Idaho hunts.
The news for 2006 has been released, the the elk hunt figures were about the same as the last two years. Hunters tagged 20,257 elk in 2006, down slightly from 21,520 in 2005 and 20,925 in 2004. This success rate was 19.5%; generally regarded as high.
According to state big game manager, Brad Compton Idaho elk population remains at about 125,000, and has been stable over the past six or seven years.
Hunters also tagged approximately 22,000 white-tailed deer. Their population is estimated at about 200,000, and about 30,000 mule deer of a population estimated at about 300,000 statewide, and 1,525 pronghorns were tagged in 2006.
~Note: I do notice some small discrepancies with the figures above and the earlier time series, but they are small and do not change the trend (or lack of one).~
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.